


Crossroads

by jazzymaymay



Series: Criss Cross (reboot) [1]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Post-Canon, Crossover, Crossover Pairing, F/M, HP: EWE, Harry centered, Harry leaves the wizarding world, MTF Harry Potter, Mild Transphobia, POV First Person, Pre-Relationship, Starting Over, Transgender, bad breakup, mafia, mild violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-10
Updated: 2015-09-13
Packaged: 2018-04-14 01:52:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4545639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jazzymaymay/pseuds/jazzymaymay
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Harry Potter is outed as transgender in the Wizarding World,  Harry has no choice but to leave everything behind and try to start over in Gotham City. However, her chance at normality is shaken upside down when she discovers that her new employers are targeted by the new head of the Falcone crime family, Alberto Falcone.  Harry must decide between keeping her new found anonymity or stopping Falcone and risk being brought once again into the spotlight.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Well, That Was Unexpected

**Author's Note:**

> This fic has been a long labor of love. I had two other drafts of this fic that I actually posted and then later deleted. One was called Inside Out. Unlike the other drafts, I plan on finishing this fic come hell or high water; although updates will come sporadically. I want to thank my friends Benderfan1221 and Starr Falling for cheering me on and telling me this didn't suck. I especially want to Entangled Woods who succumbed to my begging on Facebook and offered her red pen of doom to the cause. This is fic is unbrit picked as of now, but if you want the job please let me know. One more thing: I have a [tumblr](http://letscrissandcross.tumblr.com/) for this universe, where I will post fanart, character bios, and much more!
> 
>  **ETA:** I forgot to mention that instead of using straight comic canon, I'm actually using my own mesh of the comics, the various movies, the animated series, and the Arkham video games. Everyone from both Harry Potter and Batman are much younger than they depicted in canon.

 

* * *

 

  


Soundtrack: [Young Volcanoes - Fall Out Boy ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-XUjmkrSe8)

The pain attacked me as fast and silently as a snake the moment I stepped into Gotham International Airport. Every inch of my body, from the top of the head to the bottom of my toes was in agony as if a thousand tiny little knives were stabbing into me. My magic surged through my body, battering against its prison that was made of my flesh, blood, and bone.

I gritted my teeth, as my body started to weaken against the onslaught. I swayed on my feet, and I quickly grabbed onto a nearby wall, praying that I wouldn't fall on my face. I blinked my eyes, as I tried to focus on the people who were passing by me, but all I could make out were their blurry shapes.

I let out a sharp gasp, as my magic continued to try force itself out of my body, pounding at me like someone was trying to smash through a brick wall with a sledgehammer. I tried to hold onto my magic as hard as I could. Yet, despite the agony I was going through, what made this situation all the worse were the  _whispers_.

The whispers coaxed and cajoled, they poked and prodded my own simmering rage and the desperation that I had been carrying for four months inside of me as I watched Ron, Hermione, and even Ginny (people who I thought would always be by my side)turn away from me in my darkest hour. The thing was, a part of me, a very large part,  _wanted_  to make them pay. I wanted them to feel the loneliness, and the despair I felt. And with my level of power, it would be so easy. All I would need to do was to let loose, and let my magic go and let it wrought my wrath.

"Hey, lady are you okay?"

I was only marginally able to turn my head. To my surprise, a man was standing there beside me. I tried to open my mouth to, I don't know maybe reassure him that I wasn't crazy or in need of a doctor? However, before I could even do so, there was a loud crash, followed by screaming. In the corner of my eye, I could see a wall of broken windows.

Abruptly, the pain suddenly grew more intense. My legs gave out and I swiftly found myself sliding down the wall. I shuddered, a low whimper escaping my lips. I knew that it's was my fault. In my split second of inattention, a bit of my magic had managed to slip passed my control. Luckily, this time I had only broken some windows. God only knew what would happen have happened to the innocent bystanders if I had unleashed the force of all of my magic on them. There was no other choice: I had to stop my magic before it hurt someone.

"Hold on," The man said as he started to climb to his feet. "I'm going to get help."

"No," I bit out between my clenched teeth. "Just give me a moment."

I closed my eyes and did my best to block out the other people in the airport as much as I could. With all the same stubbornness that got me through the war, I managed to push the pain aside enough to actually sodding think. Frantically, I tried to think of a way to get firmly in control of my magic, until a thought popped into my mind  _'Why don't I just pull it back in?'_  It seemed so simple, too simple to work; but I had to try.

I could still hear the man's voice, but it was more distant now. I ignored him, as I visualized the magic inside me. I could almost see it now. In my mind, my magic was a long thick rope. I imagined that I was now grabbing the rope, and suddenly the rope began to jerk violently back and forth like I was an old fashion American cowboy trying to rope an angry bull. Time seemed to slow down as I carefully and gradually started to pull on the long thread of my magic as hard as I could. I yanked and pulled the thread of my magic so that painstakingly, inch by bloody inch, it slid back inside and into my magical core. As I pulled in the last bits of my magic, the pain faded instantly just as suddenly as it had appeared.

I leaned my head back against the wall and sighed in relief. I felt out of breath and more exhausted than I had felt since I defeated Voldemort five years prior. "That's it!" The man stood up. "I'm going to get you some help."

 _"_ _No."_  I pleaded. "I feel better, just help me up." The man threw me a dubious look. "Are you sure?"

I tried to give him a reassuring smile, but I was pretty sure it came out more as a grimace. "I'm sure."

He shrugged, and took my hand and helped me unsteadily onto my feet. I swayed a little bit on my feet. After a moment, I finally regained my balance. I threw him a small grateful smile. "You see, I'm fine."

"Well, if you don't need any more I help..."

"No," I shook my head. "But thank you for your help."

"No problem." He gave me a small smile, then looked down at his watch and frowned. "Well, I better be off."

"Thanks again."

The man just nodded, before he turned around and walked away.

I glanced back to see if my momentary loss of control gathered any attention, but to my relief, everybody's attention was currently on the broken windows and the shards of glass that littered the floor. I sighed, as I thought about how much damaged my magic could have caused. Thank god this incident wouldn't be a blip on the American Ministry's radar.

The major reason I had picked to start over in Gotham in the first place was the city's inherent chaotic dark magic that seem to cover every inch of the city like a thick fog. It was impossible to get a read on anyone's magic signature in a place like Gotham. And despite Gotham's horrible crime rate and a terrible reputation for costumed psychos, it still made the city a perfect place for someone like me to disappear in.

And speaking of Gotham's magic, I suddenly wondered if the city's magic was partly responsible for my momentary loss of control. It was definitely something I didn't plan for when I originally picked the city, and maybe Gotham's inherent magic had some effect on mine? I still had the some taint on my own magic from Voldemort's influence, and maybe the city's magic was attracted to it.

In the end, there was no diffident way to tell. So it was best that I just don't do any magic for a while until I can be sure that my magic didn't try to rebel again. I didn't want to hurt anyone, and I needed to keep my head down and keep a low profile. I diffidently want anyone back home to figure out where I was, and I sure as hell didn't need any sodding Rogue Death Eaters coming after me now that I no longer had the protection of the Ministry behind me.

I straightened out my dress as best as I could. Then I picked up my carry-on bag and headed towards Passport Control. I groaned when I saw the long line. This was going to take forever, and with the flight, and my bout of magical upheaval, I absolutely wasn't up for the long wait. Even though, the pain had faded, I was still both physically and mentally exhausted.

I walked tiredly to the back of the line. The wait seemed to take forever, and I suddenly wished that I had my phone. I had gotten rid of it just before I left London. Hermione was smart enough to try to track my phone by its GPS, and it would make all my effort to disappear from the Wizarding World for nothing.

It was almost an hour and a half later when I finally,  _FINALLY_ , got to the front of the line. "Papers and Passport." The border agent recited in a bored voice. I quickly handed over my passport and my immigration papers.

"Aster Jane Potter?"

"Y-Yes." I stuttered. I had only officially been Aster Jane Potter for a few weeks now, and I was still getting used to hearing Aster instead of Harry.

While the border control agent scanned and verified my documents and passport, he asked me the usual questions. I tiredly told him about my plans to move to Gotham permanently, how I planned on getting a job, and about the substantial sum that was currently sitting in my account at Gotham National Bank. For a moment, I wondered if anyone could pick up on the small paper trail I left when I liquated most of the Potter vaults. I had done my best to cover my tracks when I turned the Black vaults over to Andromeda and Teddy. They needed the money more than I did at this point, and the Potter vaults would more than cover any expenses I may have.

Still, I did leave a paper trail and anyone who really was invested in finding me might still have the chance (no matter how slim) to find me. I sighed in relief as I realized that someone would have to a court order from The Wizagmont to gather the information legally, and it was almost impossible to break in Gringott's records.

"Here you go," The border control agent handed me back my passport and threw me a quick "Welcome to Gotham."

"Thank you," I said, giving him a bright smile. I quickly gathered my carry-on and walked away. I was more than ready to start my new life in Gotham.

**To Be Continued…**


	2. This Is When You Get Up

**Soundtrack:**  [Where It All Begins – Hunter Hayes (Featuring Lady Antebellum)](https://youtu.be/QtyUB0__5so)

**Author's Note:**  First off, I want to thank you all for kudos and subscribes and comments. I never dreamed that this fic would be so popular and I want to thank you for taking the time to not only reading this very unconventional fic but also for taking time out of your day to show your support. *hugs* I also want to thank my awesome friend bigkoalaheaven for doing a last minute beta! And as always, all the multimedia and other extras associated with this chapter is up on this series's [Tumblr blog](http://letscrissandcross.tumblr.com).

**ETA:** Sorry about the typos. This was all on me and not my beta bigkoalaheaven, who was awesome. I did some last minute tweaking and forgot to clear up the typos. I also want to mention that Teddy Lupin doesn't exist in this universe. I feel that Harry or rather Aster wouldn't have left the Wizarding World if she had Teddy to look after.

* * *

"So was everything a lie?" Ginny asked, softly. The woman in front of me looked broken and so small right then. Nothing remained of Ginny's usual fiery personality, and it broke my heart to see it. I wanted her to scream at me, to hex me, and tell me that she hated me. I would rather have any of that, than this mere shell of the woman I loved standing before me.

"No, everything wasn't a lie, "I sighed. "I just didn't tell you everything."

She looked up at me then, her beautiful blue eyes shining with unshed tears.  _I did this to her, to the woman I've loved since I was 16 years old, and there was no easy way to fix it. No way to take my words back._

"You just been keeping this from me since we met."

I looked away from her then, "It took me a long time to figure out that I was..." I paused as I trying to force the words passed my lips. I closed my eyes, as I tried to spit out the words I have always terrified to say. "I was a woman."

"How long was that?"

I closed my eyes and winced. "Three years."

"Three years, and you never told me." Her voice sounded sad and resigned. "I can't do this."

I snapped my eyes open and spun around to see tears trailing down across her face. "W-What?"

She squared her shoulders and looked me right in the eye. "I can't do this, Harry." She whipped away her tears. "You're a woman, and maybe I could get passed that." Ginny shrugged, "But I can't get passed that you lied to my face for  _three_  years.

"I thought that you trusted me and that I could trust you in return," Ginny shook her head. "But you couldn't trust me enough to tell me about the most important part of yourself."

"Ginny, please," I said stepped forward, as I tried to reach out for her. "I'm sorry, I promise to be truthful with you for here on out just, please-" I pleaded, choking back tears. "Just  _please_  give me another chance."

She shook her head and slid off her engagement ring. The ring had been my mother's. I had been so proud to give her a year ago. My own tears began to fall now as she placed the ring in my hand. "I'm sorry, Harry."

I just stood there as the love of my life just turned around and walked right out of my life.

* * *

I slowly opened my eyes and found myself not in the sitting room at Grimmauld Place, but in a hotel room instead. I looked around the hotel room confused, as I tried to remember how I got there. Just then everything started to come back to me. I recalled the flight to Gotham, arriving at the airport, and the earlier incident with my magic.

I shuttered, as I wiped a hand over my face. I realized that my face was wet with my tears. I wiped my face, then flopped back down onto the bed. I found myself curling into a fetal position. The memory replayed themselves over and over in my head. ' _How many times was I going to have this nightmare?'_ Ginny wasn't coming back. Ron and Hermione were never going to talk to me again. I got fired from my job as Auror the moment that it outed in ' _The Daily Prophet'_. I ran a hand over my face. Shit! I should be able to get over this. It had been five months since my whole life went to hell. Besides, If Ginny had been able to move on, then so should I.

Having enough of my pity party, I forced myself to get out of bed, and head towards my suitcases. I rummaged through my shrunken belongings hoping that I would have one normal sized piece of clothing to wear. Unfortunately, I found nothing to wear and I gave a long sigh of resignation. There was nothing for it, shopping had moved up further up on my long to-do list. I picked up yesterday's dress, and my toiletry bag and headed into the bathroom.

I grimaced as I stepped into the shower; the hot water stinging my now sensitive skin. I adjusted the tapes to something milder before I started to wash my body, then my hair. I thought about all the things I still had to do. I would spend this day, shopping for new clothes, and doing some sight-seeing. Then, first thing tomorrow I had to start looking for a job and a flat.

After rinsing off, I grabbed a towel and got out of the shower. I quickly dried off, and walked over to the mirror and wiped away the condensation. As I looked at myself in the mirror. I was still amazed at finally seeing the woman that was reflected back at me.

I grinned to myself, as I examined my much rounder and softer face. I was fortunate that I was almost virtually unrecognizable after I started to transition. My smile faded, as I opened my towel and looked down to examine my body. Where my body had been once broad, thin, and angular; it was now a bit curvy. I also started to develop actual breasts as well! My breasts were barely an A cup. To my chagrin, I still had to use gel inserts in my bra. Yet, I still saw it as a positive change. My body was so close to matching what I have always been on the inside.

I took out my makeup bag and pulled out a slim rectangular case. Unzipping, I saw that there were five thin bottles no wider than a muggle pencil. Inside of the bottles were a bright neon green potion. I drank down the ' _Mutatio'_ potion with one gulp. and grimaced at the taste. Four months of taking it, and it still tasted like old gym socks.

I came to the realization there could be dire consequences if I attempted to use my magic right now. Which meant, that I had no possible way to brew my next month's supply of the  _'Mutatio'_  potion. I had to take the potion for a year and a day without missing one dose. If I didn't not only the transition process will stop, but all the changes the potion caused would be instantly reverted.

I would have to find alternate means to get my potion. It was a foregone conclusion that I would eventually have to contact a wizard or a witch to make the potion for me. It was a huge risk on my part, but I had no other choice.

* * *

There was one little problem with my plans to find Gotham's Wizarding Community. I had no idea where to find it. I couldn't follow the trail to the largest amount of magic in Gotham like most magic users could do in most cities. Gotham's inherit magical aura made that impossible.

I had to find the city's Wizarding district the muggle way. So after breakfast, I made my way on the subway down to the Gotham's Central Library. I looked through the old newspaper articles and search through the old issues of The Gazette. I looked for any sign of strange happenings in Gotham. I tried to find and narrow down all the strange occurrences that might be magical in origin amongst the city's usual brand of costumed insanity.

Frustrated and hungry, I decided to finally call it quits. After a quick lunch, I finally was able to squeeze in a little sightseeing. Gotham City was, noisy, and was just as filthy as the thick gritty smog that enveloped the city. Even right then at midday, Gotham seemed to have more shadows than not.

Yet to me, Gotham felt more savage and untamed than London. Even, the city's skyline seems to reflect that. The buildings in Gotham were an amalgam of twisted Gothic spires and arches alongside the narrow art-deco style structures. The buildings almost appeared to be looming menacing over the city like a visible threat to its apathetic citizens.

I spent the rest of the day like any tourist. I took several pictures on my phone as I visited Gotham Square, Robison Park and wandered down Main Street then pass City Hall and The Courthouse. Even at one point, I actually broke down and bought some souvenirs even though I didn't have anyone to send them to. As I walked down the busy sidewalk, I could even spot Wayne Tower despite it being all the way in Midtown. The glass and chrome tower seemed to stand almost majestically over the rest of the city.

Yet, although I had fun sightseeing. The earlier episode at the Airport was still in the back of my mind. I worried that going out had been the right thing or if I should have stayed in the hotel room instead. I didn't want to hurt anyone if it came to the worse and my magic decided to rebel again.

Luckily by dinner time, I didn't have any further incidents. So I decided to stroll a bit further before I went back to the hotel. I wandered past West Addison Street and on to Quentin Avenue into the Fashion District.

Walking into the Fashion District made me homesick for the familiar shops in Camden Town. The neighborhood had bright flamboyant buildings with weird and arty shop windows and signs. I could spot more than a few elaborate murals on the walls as I wandered past the shops. The whole place, in fact, looked like a mad mash-up of Camden and Bond Street. Mixed in with the colorful shops was the opulent white stone and glass buildings that housed all the major designers. Yet, despite the exterior differences of each shop, every one of them carried a high price tag.

In the one shop, I actually walked into they had a freaking t-shirt for sale for $100! No matter how much I was itching to use my brand spanking new credit card, I was still leery using it-especially in that neighborhood. I knew I should have just taken a detour to Lacey's Department Store instead of coming down to the expensive shops in the district. My stomach rumbled, and I sighed as I figured I might as just cut my window shopping short and go eat dinner. I was just pulling out my mobile to look up the nearest affordable restaurant when I spotted it:

Sitting in the window of a bright pink shop (that reminded me uncomfortably of Umbridge's office) was the most beautiful dress I had ever seen. It was a sleeveless baby blue dress that had a heart-shaped bodice that flared and fell all the way to the ground.

I abruptly found myself hurrying across the street, dodging cars and angry drivers alike. As I got closer, I blanched at the price tag of the dress. I was so torn, on one hand, I REALLY wanted the dress, but I was uncomfortable with spending all that money. I gave a long resigned sigh. I knew that I should have just headed back to the hotel but, it couldn't hurt if I would to try it on?

With some trepidation, I walked inside the shop and it was just as sickening pink as it was on the outside. The walls were darted with large posters in elegant frames hanging on the walls. I walked over to the glass and chrome counter, where I noticed there was an Asian man was sitting behind it. He didn't even look up as I walked in, the man's whole attention was on his sketchpad. His fingers practically flew around the paper as he drew with fast and frantic strokes of his pencil.

"Excuse me?"

The man was startled so much that he almost fell off the stool that he was sitting on. "Uh, sorry!" He said as he scrambled on to his feet. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"It's fine." I gave him a shy smile. I pointed to the dress in the window. "I was wondering if I could try that dress on."

The man looked me up and down and I squirmed under his piercing gaze. "No."

"What?" I asked, thinking that maybe I misheard him.

The man grinned at me and said, "No, I don't think so."

I shook my head as I stared back at his excited face. My disbelief swiftly grew into annoyance. "Why is—"

I cried out as a wave of sharp agonizing pain hit me. I thought that maybe I had been exaggerating about the pain, but once again I felt an intense stabbing pain through my whole body. It felt as if a thousand tiny knives that pierced my skin over and over again.

"Oh my god!" I heard the man shout, and started to run towards me.

I screamed and doubled over as another wave of pain hit me. I swayed dangerously on my feet, and all sudden I found myself falling onto the ground as the world around me rapidly fading away into darkness.


	3. Rock In A Hard Place

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who reviewed, kudos, liked, favorite, bookmarked, subscribed, and followed this story. I love you guys for sticking in there with me. Seriously, this chapter was a bitch to write, and I had to rewrite it multiple times to even get to this point. I also forgot to say if you want to see the behind the scene process feel free to check me out on [twitter](https://twitter.com/jazzymaymay) and be sure to follow this series' [tumblr blog](http://letscrissandcross.tumblr.com/) for the extras which I don't have a lot this chapter, sorry.
> 
> Also thanks once again to my beta extraordinaire, bigkolaheaven who whipped this chapter into shape. All the remaining mistakes are mine, because I like to constantly tweak things. Enjoy!

 

_SOUNDTRACK:[Rock In A Hard Place by David Ramirez](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uo7mgE5wh6c)_

"Oh Jesus, please don't be dead!"

I gave a long drawn out moan as I tried to move. My whole body was radiating pain, and my head was throbbing. It felt like I went through ten rounds with bloody Mike Tyson. 'What the hell happened?'

"Oh, thank god!"

I fluttered my eyes open to see a blurry figure standing above me. After a moment, my sight began to focus and I saw a frantic looking man standing above me.

"W-What?" I croaked out.

"You been out for like five minutes," The man said, throwing his hands in the air. "And I don't know… everything just went crazy and then you just fell…"

It took a moment for my fuzzy brain to process what he just said. My eyes went wide as everything abruptly came back to me. I felt the bile rise up in my throat, and it was all I could do not to throw up. I did it  _again_. I had lost control of my magic. Yet as the man knelt down beside me my eyes snapped to a large blood stain on his leg.

"You're hurt!"

"No," He shook his head, then grimaced. "Well, only a little."

"I'm so sorry," I said before I turned away from his obvious concerned gaze.

"It wasn't your fault."

I looked away then, as my guilt began to overwhelm me. I froze, my mouth dropped as I took in the wreck of the shop. Clothing racks and furniture were overturned. The clothes were strewn all over the shop and the nicely framed photo frames were laying broken on the floor. The windows and the glass door were broken, and just beyond them I could see a crowd gathering.

Oh god, what if someone got a picture of my face? What if the Aurors were on their way? Best case scenario, I would be booted back to England. The worst being that I quite likely would end up going to prison. 'I have to get out of here!'

Now that the pain had begun to recede, I shakily grabbed on to the nearby overturned clothing rack. Then turned and started to look frantically for my purse.

"Just wait a minute." The man said as he tried to approach me, but I jerked away and put my hands up. I called 911 and the paramedics are on their way."

"No, I'm fine," I said, trying to sound reassuring. It probably came out more hysterical than what I intended.

Shaking my head, I gave a sigh of relief when I saw that my purse was only a few feet away. Unfortunately, all my purse's contents had spilled out. I hurried over to my purse and practically threw everything into it.

"C'mon, at least get checked out." The man pleaded, taking a step forward. I stumbled away, then swiftly made my way precariously through the shop. Not caring at all about the clothes and the scattered glass underneath that I stepped on as I fled the shop.

I pushed and shoved my way through the crowd of curious onlooker

"WAIT!"

I heard as I hurried down the street, but I didn't dare turn back as I started to break out into a run

I ran for what seemed like hours. When I finally had to stop to catch my breath I spotted a nearby alley and slipped inside. I needed to get away from people, I needed to think, and right now in my state of mind I didn't think catching a taxi or getting on the subway was safe. So I walked further into the alley until I got to a dead-end. I shuttered as I knocked my head against the wall.

I was totally and utterly fucked.

I slid down the wall until I was sitting on the filthy ground. I put my arms around my knees, and suddenly I started to cry. I had hurt someone with my magic. It's one thing to just shatter some windows, but this time I had hurt someone and it didn't matter that it was probably only a shallow wound, the problem was that it could have been that much worse. What if I had killed the shopkeeper?

I could had killed that poor man just because he denied to sell me a dress.

I wiped away my tears, my hand stained black with my mascara. There was no other choice: I had to leave Gotham. I was obviously a danger to myself and others. I wanted to scream, I hated to throw things, and just fucking have a tantrum because I was so damn close to having the fresh start that I wanted so badly.

All those months of meticulous planning just went down the loo. I guess the Potter luck was catching up to me once again. I was back to square one, and I had nowhere to go. I couldn't go back to England. I just knew the moment I stepped on English soil that Hermione would track me down, and I would be dragged back kicking and screaming back into the world that not only hated me; but wanted to shove me back into their straight and narrow little box.

I was just so angry, and frustrated because Gotham despite its various faults had been the perfect place to hide. The city's ambient magic would make it practically impossible for anyone to find me, but my magic just had to start having a mind of its sodding own.

There was nothing for it. I had to leave Gotham tonight. I gave a long resigned sigh and stood up unsteadily to my feet. I think I was just calm enough to risk taking a taxi back to the hotel. It was a shame that I couldn't just apparate back, but I would probably have another episode like I had today and I didn't want to hurt anyone. I also didn't want to make it that much easier for the American Ministry track my magical signature.

All I could do now was pray to Merlin that I wouldn't injure anyone on the way home.

I left the taxi driver waiting with a promise of a generous tip if he stayed. Thankfully, it took less than ten minutes to pack up my toiletries and the few souvenirs that I had brought earlier. Once at the airport, I would take the first plane out of Gotham, and then I would figure out where to go later.

I picked up my luggage and headed to the door. The hotel phone started to ring. I turned around, my eyes going wide as I stared at the phone. Who could be calling? Maybe it was the old woman who managed the hotel?

The phone rang again, and I sighed and went over to pick it up. "Hello?"

"Is this Aster?"

My face went abruptly pale, as I gripped the phone tightly to my ear. I was new in town, and honestly no one should of had my number. "W-Who is this?"

"This is Zachary."

" _Who_?"

"I work at Pinky's Boutique," He replied, sheepishly. "Like down in the fashion district?"

"Oh shite," I cursed quietly as I sank back down on the bed. "How did you get this number?"

"Um, the number to the hotel was in your phone." The man…Zachary said

"Oh god," I said. "How did you get this number? How did you find me?" \

"I found your phone."

I nearly fell off the bed. "No. I have my phone right here…" I trailed off as I bent down and snatched up my bag from off the floor. I swiftly looked through the bag, but I didn't find my brand new mobile inside. "Oh  _fuck_."

"Yeah, that's what I was trying to tell you."

There was no doubt about it. I was totally and utterly fucked. This person knew who I was, and if the Aurors were looking for the person who caused a major magical disturbance right in front of muggles no less; it was pretty much a matter of time before they tracked me down.

I stood up and was just about to slam down the phone and make a run for it when I heard:

"Don't worry, I didn't tell them anything."

I just stood there, feeling as if my heart was about to beat right out of my chest as I still clutched the phone receiver. "W-What are you talking about?" "I demanded because there was just no way that he didn't report me to the authorities after I destroyed the shop.

I jumped as I heard the taxi driver honk his horn.

I knew that I had to leave, but honestly at this point I had nowhere to go, what happened earlier was probably on the internet already, and I was surprised that the hotel room wasn't already crawling with pissed off Aurors.

Now, that Zachary probably gave them my new identity, there was nowhere I could run. It would be that much easier for them to track me down. But why did Zachary call me then? Was he trying to stall me for the Aurors? It made no sense, especially since the Aurors would never evolve a muggle in one of their cases.

"Hello?" Zachary asked, "Are you still there?"

"Y-Yeah" I stuttered, as I wiped a shaking hand across my face. I suddenly found myself blurting out: "What do you want from me?"

"I just want to give you your phone back, that's all."

I snorted, "Right."

"Look, just because 90% of this town is morally bankrupt doesn't mean I am, dude." He replied, with a slight hint of frustration in his voice. "I didn't tell them anything."

"What?"

"I didn't tell the cops that you basically wrecked the whole store," Zachary said. "And let me tell you, Pinky wasn't a happy camper when I told him.

I opened my mouth, then snapped it closed and shook my head. So he knew I was responsible for the shop. A muggle had diffidently saw what I had done. I felt an of shock, guilt, and shame in my stomach that made feel making feeling more than a bit sick. "I'm so sorry. I'm willing to pay for all the damages—"

"Hold on," Zachary said, interrupting me. "Luckily for the both of us, Pinky has great insurance"

"But—"

"Also," He continued to talk over me. "You cutting Pinky a check for the damages would be a bit hard to explain after I told Pinky and the cops that the shop was hit with an earthquake."

"An earthquake? And they just  _believed_  you?"

"Trust me, a sudden earthquake won't even make the top ten list of weird shit that has happened in this city this week," Zachary chuckled. "Besides, the Aurors would have my ass in a sling if I told muggles what really had happened."

"What?" I pulled the phone away to throw a dazed look down at it. Did Zachary say what I thought he just said? I put the phone back to my ear, and blurted out: "How?"

"Would it make you feel better if I told you that I'm a squib?"

"Uh, yes?" I shook my head, feeling as if I was suddenly in ''The Twilight Zone'.

He snorted, "Believe me, you were pretty lucky that nobody in this damned city asks any questions or you would be in deep shit."

All I could say to that was, "Thanks."

"You're welcome," Zachary replied. "I'm going to be honest with you, what you did was pretty scary."

I closed my eyes and hung my head. "I'm so sorry for hurting you and the shop. I didn't mean too, it's just this damn city-"

"-Is hell on you, magic users." Zachary finished. "It's one of the reasons why there aren't a lot of magic users in Gotham. The city's magic will either make you run for the hills or drive you batshit insane."

"That's comforting to hear."

"Look, it's a long shot but I might know someone that can help."

"Really, what's the catch?"

"One, they are very hard to find," Zachary replied, "Two if they decide to help, you will owe them a favor. And they are not the type of people you want to owe, if you know what I mean."

"So these people are really bad news then?"

"No, they are just amoral." Zachary clarified. "So will you meet me tomorrow?"

The taxi driver honked his horn again, and I sighed rubbing my forehead. Did I really want to trust this stranger? Honestly, I should just leave. It would be better for everyone in the end, but they aren't a whole lot of places that I could avoid detection, especially with me being such a powerful witch. It was also a bonus that other witches and wizards gave Gotham a wide berth.

Gotham was overrun with costumed lunatics, meta-humans, crime, and corruption. Yet, I couldn't deny anymore that there was something else that drew me to Gotham. The draw to the city was both frustratingly intangible and indiscernible; I felt like the proverbial moth to a flame.

If I had an ounce of self-preservation I would leave Gotham and never look back. I gave a loud snort. Since when have I ever had any self-preservation? Really, it was too late to pretend I have some now.

I took a huge breath and said: "Fine."

"I have to go into work early tomorrow so you can meet me thee around 3 o'clock."

I winced, "I don't think I should show my face at the boutique."

"Lucky for you, I don't often work at the boutique."

"You don't?"

Yeah, Pinky is a family, friend." Zachary replied, sheepishly. "He sometimes let me pick up extra hours there."

"So where do you work?"

"Crossroads Café in Old Town."

"Yeah, I have no idea where that is."

"I'll give you the address." Zachary relayed me the address, which I swiftly scribbled on the back of a receipt before he finally hung up. The taxi driver honked his horn again, and I honestly was still surprised that the driver hadn't just abandoned me at this point. I shook my head, grabbed my purse and headed outside to pay the driver.

I guess I was staying in Gotham for the time being.

 

_To Be Continued in Chapter Four_

 


End file.
